Resilient churn support



April 29, 1947.

A. H. BOILEAU RESILIENT CHURN SUPPORT s Shets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 5, 1939 INVENTOR. M 1 2- Bo'lea/w B7 April 29 1947. A. H. BOILEAU RESILIENT CHURN SUPPORT s Sheets-Shet 2 Original Filed Jan. 5, 1939 INVENTOR. @fl//zwr H Boz'leaa BY ATTORNEY.

April 29, 1947. A. H. BOILEAU RESILIENT CHURN SUPPORT Original Filed Jan. 3, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 J ll.

Patented Apr. 29, 1947 RESILIENT CHURN SUPPORT Arthur H. Boileau, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignor to Cherry-Burrell Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of. Delaware Qriginal application January 3, 1939, Serial No.

249,056. Divided and this application February'24, 1944, Serial No. 523,753

4 Claims.

This invention relates to churns and butterworkers. More particularly the invention relates to a resilient support for a churn and butterworker in which the churn and butterworker drum is of the rotatable type'adapted preferably to rotate' about its horizontal axis and in which the drum for the churn and butterworker is provided internally with fixed shelves and bafile means for the agitation, blending and Working of the cream and butter.

In churns and butterworkers of the sanitary type when constructed of wood, distortion and warping ofthe wood may frequently occur. It is, therefore, essential that allowances be made for such possible distortion or warping of the drum or drum heads or ends of the assembled churn drum to-prevent the development of undue strains in the supporting and driving means, which strains are normally brought on by such distortion or warping. tion of a sanitary wooden churn and butterworker to avoid, insofar as possible, the use of opposed metal parts, packing glands, and other similar elements on the interior of the churn and butterworker, which elements may present unsanitary surfaces and which elements if not meticulously cleaned, constitute sources of contamination of the product. manufactured in such churns and butterworkers.

It is also desirable in the construcchurndrum supporting and driving mechanism.

Other important features of this invention will drum, the supporting framework, driving mechanism and standards.

Figure 2 is another perspective view similar to Figure 1, and in which the staves constituting the front portion of the drum of the churn and, butterworker have been removed to more clearly illustrate the interior construction of the drum.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional elevation taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the shelf supporting bracket, the drum head and the end of the supporting gudgeons and end of the shelf when these various elements are in operative arrangement. Figure 4 is taken along line 4-4 of Figure 6.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the as- 39 Figure 3 a fragmentary Sectional View i1lu$- pects of the improved design in a resilient suptrating an alternative construction for supportport for a, churn and butt r rk which is a ing the shelves or baffies within the drum of the simple and inexpensive construction as contemchurn and butterworker and the drum head uD plated by this invention. However, the invention t e glldgeOn p e whereby the shelf sup is not to be limited to the specific embodiment diss bracket, as illustrated in p t of u e is closed. The features of the improved churn and eliminatedbutterworker illustrated in the accompanying Figure 5 s a fragmentary Sectional w taken drawings which relate particularly to the novel n itudinally through the bracket end of the shelves or bafiies and to the particular arrange- Churn suppor ing glldgeon, drum head d Shelf ment thereof Within the drum of the churn and Supporting bracket along the line 66 of butterworker and the manner of supportin them We upon the churn gudgeons or spiders are described Figure 7 is an end elevation of a Churn and and claimed more specifically in my cO-pendjng butterworker provided with a resilient supporting application Serial No. 249,056, entitled, "Churn s e n 0r Spider embodying is inv n i n. and butterworker, which application, was filed Figure 8 is a sid el a ar y in broken January 3, 1939 now Patent No. 2,359,744, dated away Section Of the e d of the churn and but- October 10, 1944, and of which application thi terworker provided with a resilient supporting i a, ivi i gudgeon as illustrated in Figure '7.

One of the principal objects of the invention Referring to the aforementioned illustration of is to provide a churn and butterworker having a 5 the invention in the improved type of churn and resilient support which will accommodate exbutterworker resilient support arrangement pansion and contraction of the churn drum and mounted for use preferably in a horizontally diswill also accommodate the distortion or warping posed rotatable drum type of churn and butterof the churn drum and drum heads without subworker, the invention includes a cylindrical woodstantially affecting or applyin stresses to the en drum of the conventional stave type generally identified by the numeral II. The drum or cylinder II is provided with opposed drum or cylinder heads or end walls I2 and I3. Suitable drum staves or confining bands or hoops I4 provided with tightenable turnbuckles I5 are placed about the outer periphery of the drum I I at spaced intervals.

A novel improvement embodied in the invention is themanner in which the drum or cylinder II and the opposed drum heads I2 and I3 are supported by a resilient spider or gudgeon on the fixed churn standards. Churns and butterworkers are, of course, conventionally provided with interior shelves or baffles. Bracket blocks I! on which the shelves 0r baflles are supported within the churn drum are each provided internally with a suitable bolt anchorage, such as a metal rod I8, having several threaded or tapped openings I9. The rod I8 in each instance is sealed into the longitudinally extending opening of the associated block I! by stoppers 2I as clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 6 of the drawings. The respective bracket blocks I! are fitted in the recesses 22 in the interior face of the cylinder heads or end walls I2 and I3. The tapped holes I9 and the bolt anchorage I8 are arranged perpendicular to the plane of the end walls I2 and I3 and are in alignment with the anchorage openings 23 through the adjoining portion Of the bracket block I? and the corresponding openings 24 in the end walls or drum heads I2 and I3. Each of the opposed drum supporting spiders or gudgeons of the type illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 6 of the drawings includes a central hub 25 mounted in any conventional manner upon a trunnion (not shown) and having a plurality of substantially radially extending gudgeon arms 25, each of which arms is provided with an elongated terminal 21 having anchor bolt openings 28 corresponding to and in alignment with the corresponding openings 24 in the end walls I2 and I3. Each gudgeon is fixed to the associated bracket blocks I! on the interior of the drum heads by means of anchor bolts 29, each of which bolts passes through the aligned corresponding openings 28, 24 and 23 into a tapped opening I9 to engage the associated anchor rod I8. spider or gudgeon does not directly engage any portion of the drum I I. The drum I I is supported upon the drum heads or cylinder ends I2 and I3 which engage the supporting spiders or endgeons.

The trunnions (not shown) to which the drum supports or gudgeons or spiders are fixed by means of the hubs 25 may be supported in any conventional manner. Generally speaking, these trunnions are mounted in journals on standards in which the journals are preferably provided with end thrust features and in which the bearings are carried at the upper portion of the standards, such as the standards 30 and 33. As illustrated, the trunnion coacting with the supporting spider or gudgeon fixed to the end wall I2 is carried by a suitable drive unit fixed to the standard 33 which drive unit is generally indicated by the numeral 32. Tubular bracing elemerits 3| join the lower portions of the vertical standards 30 and 33 to complete the rigid framework or base for the improved churn and butterworker.

The aspect of the disclosed invention which relates to the improved shelf construction and the improved manner of securing the shelves directly to the gudgeons as illustrated in the accompanying drawings is all clearly set forth in my 00- The,

4 pending application Serial No. 249,056, now Patent No. 2,359,744, dated October 10, 1944, of which this is a division.

As illustrated in the drawings, the improved churn and butterworker is provided with a plurality of shelves 34, 35 and 36. The ends of the shelves are supported on bracket I I within the drum or barrel formed of the outer wall II and the end walls I2 and I3. The shelves are braced intermediate their ends by braces 31. The shelves 34, 35 and 36 are spaced slightly from the drum Wall II and are disposed angularly with respect to radii of the churn drum.

A splitting bar or central baffle 38 is supported substantially centrally within the drum II. The bar 38 is fixed at each end thereof to the end walls l2 and I3 in an conventional manner (not shown).

To permit determination of the progress of the churning and butterworking operation, inspection windows or indicators 54 are provided at either end of the drum I I. When the butterworking operation is completed, the rotation of the churn is stopped with the churn doors 32 in the unloading position as clearly illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings. The churn may be locked in this position by swiveled pawl 43 mounted on the tubular frame element 3I by clamp 44. The looking is accomplished by engaging the pawl 43 with the rack 45 mounted on the adjacent end of the drum II by bolts 45. To facilitate emptying the drum II there is provided a conventional type of discharge outlet mounted in one of the end walls or drum heads I2 or I3 adjacent the outer periphery thereof.

The shelf supporting arrangement illustrated in Figures 4 and 6 involves the use of the bracket I! at each end of a shelf. The bracket I! is partially fitted into a corresponding recess 22 in the end Wall I2 or I3 and ther held rigidly in place by the gudgeon anchor bolts 29 which are fixed to the anchor bar I8. The shelves resting upon the brackets H are fixed thereto by countersunk bolts 41 extending through the shelves into the brackets I1 and suitably threaded into the bolt anchorage I8. Stoppers 48 are fitted in the countersunk openings of the shelves to seal therein what would otherwise be an exposed metal surface of the bolts 41.

An alternate construction for the supporting of the shelves in the churn barrel is sh'own in Figure 7 of the drawings. In the alternate construction shown in Figure '7, an edge of the bracket I1 is replaced by an end of one of the shelves 34, 35 or 36. By fitting such replacing end of a shelf, as for example, shelf 34', tightly into the recess I6, the likelihood of splitting the end of the shelf by tightening the associated bolt 29, which tightening applies pressure to the bolt anchorage I8 provided in the inner openings in such end of the shelf is substantially avoided. In this alternative construction, it is, of course, not necessary to separately fix each end of the shelf to its associated bolt anchorage I8.

In Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, the gudgeon illustrated may be of the cast or rigid type. In Figures 7 and 8 there is disclosed specifically the improved resilient type of gudgeon or supporting spider. The improved gudgeon or supporting spider includes the trunnion or hub 25' to which 21 hereinbefore referred to and as illustrated in association with the cast type of gudgeon. Th'e terminals 5! are provided with anchor bolt openings 52 similarly spaced and arranged as are the anchor belt openings 28 associated with the cast gudgeon terminal 21. The anchor bolts 29 extend into the bracket l1 through the anchor bolt openings 52 in the improved resilient type of churn and butterworking gudgeon. The anchor bolts 29 secure the improved resilient type of gudgeon to the drum head IE or l3 by engagement of the bolts 29 with the bolt anchorage l8 in the bracket ll. To properly position or space the modified supporting resilient type of spider or gudgeon with relation to the end wall [2 or l3 of the churn drum, spacing bars 53 having the necessary openings for the anchor bolts 29 corresponding to the openings 52 in the terminals 5| are provided. The spacing bars 53 are positioned intermediate the end walls l2 and I3 of the churn and the adjacent spider arm terminals 5|.

The improved resilient churn supporting gudgeon or spider which is rigidly secured to the shelf supporting bracket I! or to the adjacent ends of the shelves 34, 35 and 35 provides distinct structural advantages in the construction of a wooden type churn and butterworker in which the Wooden elements are most commonly susceptible to warpage. The resilient churn and butterworker supporting gudgeon is capable of absorbing such common structural defects as slight misalignment of journals as well as the misalignment sometimes resulting from the warping of the churn drum walls or drum heads. The improved gudgeons tend to relieve the driving mechanism, driving coupling and supporting bearings of undue wear and undue strain which commonly results from such misalignment, whether the misalignment is brought about by slight structural defects or from churn drum or drum head warpage. The resilient type of churn supporting gudgeon also allows for the normal expansions or distortions which take place during the normal operation of the churn and butterworker.

It will, of course, be understood that various detailed alterations and arrangements of the principal elements which have been described and as illustrated in th accompanying drawings may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The invention is hereby claimed as followsf l. A churn and butterworker comprising a wooden drum and drum ends, rotatable supporting spiders supported on bearings and fixed to the drum ends of said drum and having resilient radially extending members adapted for flexing axially of said drum, said members being so constructed and arranged as to avoid undue strain on said supporting bearings by the swelling or distortion of the elements of the wooden churn drum incidental to the normal operation of the churn and butterworker.

2. A churn comprising a wooden drum, and rotatable supporting spiders fixed to the ends of said drum and having resilient radially extending members adapted for flexing axially of said drum, said members being so constructed and arranged as to avoid undue strain on the supporting bearings by the swelling or distortion of the elements of the Wooden churn drum incidental to the normal operation of the churn.

3. In a churn, the combination of a drum including end walls, a supporting framework, trunnions mounted in said framework; hubs supported on said trunnions, and resilient outwardly extending supporting arms capable of flexing axially of said drum and positioned intermediate said hubs and said end walls for rotatably supporting the same upon said trunnions.

4. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a drum, a supporting framework, rotatable hub means supported upon said framework, and resilient arms extending from said hub means to said drum for rotatably supporting said drum upon said hub means, said resilient arms being capable of flexing axially of the axis of rotation of said hub means.

ARTHUR H. BOILEAU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date 

